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Topics - Tamina
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« on: May 10, 2013, 12:39:41 pm »
I feel like I need to give a little background with this post. This last summer I went to Texas for a month. My family is a mix of religous and not. My mom tried to be a good Christian, and prays and talks about Jehovah (That's the term I use when talking about the Abrahamic God because it's one of the names that I used most when I was a Christian.) because she feel obligated to and guilty that she doesn't. My sister believes because she whole heartedly does and she's got some psychological issues that make it easy for her to do and she lives in backwoods Texas where you can't not unless you've got balls of steel. My other sister doesn't put much thought into it at all. So When I went to stay with them, I made sure to let them know that we teach Religious Acceptance in my house and don't tell the children what they have to believe and that we're raising them to be accepting and make their decisions when they're old enough to do so. Well, my First sister's oldest son, who is 8, told my son (who was 6) that since he didn't believe in Jehovah (He said God) that he was going to go to hell and burn there forever and that he was sorry that's just how it was. So I had to have the religion talk long before I wanted to. Fast Forward: The kids know how I believe and how a ton of other people believe and are now trying to figure out what they want to believe. When my daughter told me that she wanted to worship my Goddess, I told her that she shouldn't just do that because she wanted to be like me and that maybe we should try to see if she likes one. Well, one kid can't do something without the other wanting to too, so we sat down to he computer and I pulled up a list of Gods and Goddesses from many differen pantheons. Everything from Greek to Hindu to Ancient Egyptian. My son wanted a God and my daughter wanted a Goddess (they are 6 and 7) so we went through the list. I told them to listen to the names and pick the ones that they liked or that made them happy. After wheedeling the list down to a handful, I told them to think about the name and if it made them feel warm and fuzzy, like when I hug them or kiss their booboos, then to tell me. They asked what each God on their list did so I told them. Before we did that we talked a little bit about religion and why people have and want one. My daughter (6) shocked me by choosing Tara from the Hindu pantheon, and my son choose Zeus. (I used this list for the Goddesses: http://www.wicca-spirituality.com/wiccan-goddesses.html | and this one for the Gods: http://www.wicca-spirituality.com/wiccan-gods.html for no reason than they seemed fairly comprehensive) When I asked why my son responded with, He's uses lightening and is in charge of all the other Gods. (Perfect for a 7 year old boy with a little sister. LOL) My daughter told me "I like that she 'propels all life'." It was a bit of a misquote from what I'd read to her but I liked it none the less. Now, they talk to their God when they have questions and at night they ask for protection and my daughter started asking Tara to 'pick her God-flowers and teach her God-things'. My son hasn't actually picked up with it much and that's fine. He wasn't originally interested on his own anyway, it was more or an extension of wanting to do what his sister was doing. For me, I'm hoping that what they take away from it is a sense of something greater than themselves and the ability to... develop some sense of self. Here's the real meat and bones of the post. With summer fast approaching and the kids getting ready to spend a lot of time out of doors with their friends, I wanted to do a kind of long running spell/daily affirmation for protection and guidance for them in their play and social interactions and the decisions they make. We let the kids live and learn from their mistakes, always have and probably always will. I've never been a hover-parent and have relied on their own deductive reasoning in facing obstacles. ( For instance, we have a dog and a cat. When the dog chews on something or the cat scratches something up the kids know not to get onto the pet because it's their fault that the toy was left on the floor and the dog is just a dog with a dogy brain and doggy urges.) If I tell them they can't do something, I first ask them what they can come up with for why they wouldn't be allowed to do it and what kind of outcomes might happen if something goes wrong or they say or do the wrong thing. I either keep prodding until they get it right or tell them if it seems like they never will. So. Does anyone have any suggestions on what they might do in this type of working and how, if at all, to incorporate the Gods that they've chosen to pray to at night. I've got some of my own ideas, but wanted some imput before I decided on what to do. Also, if you're read all of this and made it this far, you deserve a cookie. I'm sorry it got so long! Thanks for reading and sharing.
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« on: April 06, 2013, 10:58:50 pm »
Hey everyone!
I've been working with Hecate for about a year or two now, ever since I wrote a short story where she took a larger than intended part and, though I've been kinda touch and go, she has always seemed okay with that. She whacks me when she needs attention and she lets me go when she doesn't want anything out of me.
Lately (I'd say in the past few weeks) I have been feeling a subtle nudge or poke from Brighid. Now, I've always been interest in the Celtic Pantheon, and when I was first starting in my practice I worked with certain Gods, none of which was Brighid.
Anywho, I guess I wasn't paying particular attention to Brighid and what she wanted, she seems so... deliberately quiet, because Hecate smacked me upside the head with a "This is a Good Fucking Idea and you need to get on it now." Now, I know that I need to find a way to work with them... together.
I just have no idea how to do that, and I'm also getting the feeling that I need to somehow get to a point that I can talk to them. I want to meditate, but I honestly feel like the way that I would normally do that isn't quite right, usually it's part of a ritual. I just... I've never meditated to specifically speak with the Gods.
What do you guys think?
Any advice, lessons learned, or ideas to help me along would be greatly appreciated!
Tamina
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« on: April 05, 2013, 12:56:29 pm »
Hello! I've been here before, but that was ages ago and I'm feeling a tug and pull to communicate with people who can teach me things and whom I can discuss things with again. I think I've developed a bit of a thicker skin this time around and am not as new and defensive as I once was.
I hope that I can find enjoyment, good discourse, and learn a little more again.
Tamina
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« on: December 02, 2011, 03:02:50 pm »
So... I woke this morning with the knowledge that I had to so something tonight.
After messing around for a while, I checked the moon phase to realize that it's the First Quarter tonight. I'm pretty sure that this push is coming from Hecate, she's been poking me a lot lately.
But I can't really find anything for the first quarter, and a lot of the info I'm finding is pretty much contradicting. It's frustrating.
Does anyone have any thoughts? (Any info is helpful.)
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« on: November 29, 2011, 11:48:56 am »
So, I'm new at Tarot, but even I know that when you get a repeat reading, even after shuffling it's somthing that you should pay attention to. The first one I did a few das ago, just tryng to get familiar with my cards.
Then, just today, I asked Hecate to guide my hand in the shuffle and tell me anything that she thought I needed to hear. I did the extra card today, but not before.
It was a generic three card spread with one card for clarity:
Death- reversed, the Nine of Pentacles; and the Five of Swords- reversed, followed by the High Preistess
I'd like to hear what you all have to say before I tell you what I thought.
Edit: I know, for certian, that I shuffled for a little while after the reading a few days ago and did readings between that one and this one.
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« on: November 28, 2011, 11:36:39 am »
I've been drawn to the many gods theory for ages. Before I settled onto the idea of Paganism, I was attracted, heavily, to the Greek Pantheon. I decided against choosing them as 'my pantheon' because I had written about them, fictionalized them, and thought that if I could fictionalize them in my mind that I couldn't believe in them that way. Instead I choose the Celtic Pantheon, because they have been another tht have drawn me, thought I knew little about them. After a while, that thought has changed. I fought it for a while, thinking that if I were to use the Greek Pantheon as 'my pantheon' or in combination with the other goddesses and gods from other pantheons, and could fictionalize them that it would somehow be disrespectful.
I guess I'm having a bit of a delimma because the draw hasn't dissapaited. I even think that Hecate visited me last night before I fell asleep.
I just... I don't know. What are your thoughts?
(sorry I haven't been around for a while, NaNoWriMo and the husband being home nonstop has pretty much been crazy.)
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« on: October 28, 2011, 11:08:11 am »
I keep seeing these references to the myths of King Arthur and how it can be closely assocaited with a ton of the welsh gods. WHile it's fascinating, I mean, I loved the myth as a child and even read The Once and Future King by T.H. White when I was in Iraq, but now I'd love to know more. How it connects with the Celtic myths and the roots of the legend.
Problem is, there is so much stuff that I've got to weed through, some of it good reading but not very informative, some of it infomative buthard to follow and understand. I need either a book, or a good website, to find out more and was wondering if you guys could help me out there.
Thanks for any input you've got.
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« on: October 27, 2011, 01:30:35 am »
The prompt for this was: Pretty Creature (I use this site for prompts for original pieces that I write, sometimes it takes a bit to get them: http://watchout4snakes.com/CreativityTools/RandomWord/RandomPhrase.aspx)The HindThe mirror showed reflections. The thing looking into it could not comprehend this. Such a concept was over the thing's head. It was a small thing, with a small brain, unable to do much more than form simple thoughts. It understood day, as giving light; nights as being dark. Fire was hot, ice and water were cold. The thing didn't know what it looked like, only that its hands were it hands, and its feet were its feet. But when the thing saw the reflection that it didn't know was a reflection, it stood transfixed. The hind in the mirror was covered in a beautiful flow of downy soft tan fur and the thing ached to touch it, to just feel it beneath its fingers. The lines of its body, smooth and graceful as they were, exhibited power and stamina. Strength against prey and predator alike. The thing wanted nothing more than to possess the grace and ease which with the hind moved. The legs, if the thing craned its neck to get a better view it would see, ended with golden hooves trimmed in copper. They seemed to float just above the ground, a solid weightlessness adding to its stealth and speed. The thing was jealous and wanted to turn away from the mirror. The thing moved, but so did the hind, and the thing stopped. It was wary of scaring the beautiful hind away. The thing stood mesmerized once more when it looked into the eyes of the hind, when its gaze roamed the hind’s face. It was unnerving to the thing to have the hind mimicking him. The thing thought about letting loose a warning sound, but decided against it. The thing could stand scrutiny if that scrutiny would let it look longer at the hind. The thing took in the soft short white fur on the face of the hind, the tall curved swirling gold horn lined with copper that sprouted from its forehead. The hind’s eyes were stunning, a burnt shining copper a little darker than the other similar markings on its body. The thing turned away, finally, unable to take more. The thing wallowed in it's ugliness and ran a few paces away. When the thing cast a glance over its shoulder, it saw that the hind had copied it again, and that it too was casting a glance over its own perfectly shaped shoulder and along its long equine back. The hind’s coppery eyes were filled with sadness. The thing looked away, unable to see such a being of beauty as the hind, and not feel sorrow for itself. It was such a pretty creature.
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« on: October 27, 2011, 12:09:26 am »
I just completed my first Ritual. It's someting I kind od made up, kind of didn't.
Basically, I choose three Celtic Gods to represent the ritual and the realms. Arianhrod for Sky, Manannan for Sea, an Epona for Land.
They all are also connected to regeneation/rebirth/and reincarnation in some what shape or form.
I showered so that I would be freshly clean (didn't seem to make ense to go through a cleansing and reaffirmation of my path ritual while I had a days grime on me.) and nicely focused before hand. I asked the realms to lend me their shrenght and power, I invited the Gods to join me and watch over the during the ritual and lit a candle for each of them while representing them with the candles and a token I related to them.
After that I lit some sage, for purification and protection and cleansing and spoke to each of them individually. Afterward I thanked them and the realms and blew out the candles. Then I did a divination with tarot.
Now I'm feeling drained and tired and sore in some places I didn't feel sore before.
Basically I'm wondering if this is normal or not. Or maybe I'm just a little freaked afterward, because I totally felt different after I asked the Gods to come to me. I don't know.
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« on: October 25, 2011, 02:19:18 pm »
I have been having a dream about a specific castle with a specific circle on the grounds for years. Here is an excerpt I posted on my blog back in September of this year, though I assure you that I've been having this dream setting since I was a child. I often dream of castles and towers, though this one isn't as clear as the one I dream about the one parapets and the pointed standing stone on a rise of mountians terrain, like a spire shooting from the water. There is a small platform that comes out from the standing stone and facing north there is a bench a few feet in front of it. All around this there is a wall of air, all around, nothing but air for hundreds of feet down ending in the waves crashing on a rocky shore. The air expands for four feet or so until it meets te earth again, a perfectly round space with an opening fifteen feet wide, again at the north.
If you were sitting on the bench, you would be looking at the standing stone centered in the opening. Starting at the opening in the circle of earth, there are six smaller standing stones, smaller in height and width, topped with one long thin flat circle capping them all the way around, leaving the cieling open to the sky.
Behind this circle and on either side, rises a castle with tall towers high walls with parapets all along them. The tops of each shooting into the sky. It's made of some kind of dark smokey stone. I know that to get to this castle, you have to take a long road into a forest and keep going until it turns into fields of wheat and wine and then, turn right at a large natural Pi symbol formed by two trees. Eventually this road meet with a thin forest and then you will be at the castle, hovering at the top of some cliffs over looking the sea.
I have dreamed of this place often enough that I believe that it's either a part of another life I've had, or I have a really good, really detailed imagination. Now, it's always held a special place to me. I'm comfortable there, I'm happy there (usually though I have been frightened, sad, freaked out, and excited) and I always want to be there no matter how I feel. It's a very special place for me. The whole reason that I bring it up is because I stumbled upon someone mentioning the three celtic elements. So I searched (and it's so hard to find anything) and found this: As state shortly in a post below, three was a sacred number to the celts. They see even numbers as unbalanced ones, there’s a need of something between that bring balance to that; so was with elements.
This elements were called Talam (earth) , Muir (sea) and Nem (sky). This elements are not total abstractions, we can see them surrounding us, we can feel them as we walk in our lifes. Celtic rituals don’t invoke these elements, nor dismiss them, since they’re always present in our lives. “Invoking” the elements makes no sense, since they are within us and around us.
How ever, the spiritual meaning for each is not only their physical description. It’s important to take into account that the meanings are not to be associated with the dualistic paradigm. They are not Good/Bad, Female/Male, Light/Dark elements, we can encounter these attributes within them, but not limited to. As told before, the dualistic approach of the western culture, including the mainstream monotheist religions and most of the pagan ones, is not applicable to the celtic point of view.
Talam, is the land, and the centre, where we walk, where we live, it’s the midworld. It means solidity, and stability. We can manifest it as a rock, or a tree. It’s our body.
Muir, is the ocean, the water that sorround us far or close, it’s emotionally and spirit oriented, transformative, chaotic, liminal, it’s our sensorial and intuitive being. We can manifest it as a water, from a river, from a well, from the sea. Well are often used as passages to the Underworld, were we can encounter our ancestors, It’s our blood.
Nem is the sky, it’s mind and wisdom oriented, illuminating, ecstatic, is the source of life and consciousness, a life force. Ancient Celts believe that the soul was in our heats, as part of our mind. It’s manifest in the world as the sky, and if we travel beyond we can encounter with the stars. It’s our breath.
There’s also a denomination for these in welsh celtic tradition, as Calas, Gwyar & Nwyfre
That is applicable to all human experiences, and inter-relations, I read an example that makes it clear.
Let’s take our food, the Talam are the elements of the dinner: meat, vegetables, grains, etc. Muir is the cooking process, the transformation, the flow from raw to cook. Finally, Nem is the mental dimension, how we select the ingredients, the recipes, the skills and personal seasoning of the cook. This is a easier example, but you can think in several more.
Irish has a name for the colour of the three realms, Glas, this word means green/grey/blue, colours associated with the Other World, the Tir nan nÓg. Green for the earth, grey for the sea, blue for the sky. Meaning a state where the three realms join and pure wisdom and illumination is reached.
Returning to the initial thought, about the states of matter, solid, liquid and gas could be far easy associated to the realms, and plasma could be interpret as a travel beyond the sky, when we reach the stars… an Aislingthe (let’s remember that plasma is a very new concept, not known by the Celts, or even by our fathers when they went to school)
Meditations about these realms are far and beyond the uses of this blog, but I hope to get the spirit and explanation of why a Celtic ritual and worship, shouldn’t include the four greek elements.
. . . muir mas, nem nglas, talam cé . . .
`the beautiful sea, the blue heaven, the present earth . . .'
Which can all be found here: It wasn't even then and there that I put too much thought into it, I seemed so overwhelmed that I coldn't think of it. So I just let it chill and settle in my mind for a while. Then suddenly, while I was thinking about something random, Criminal Minds or crochet or something, it clicked. That place I've been dreaming of, felt at home at for years, is like the empitome of this. Holy Crap! WOW, this is exploding so hard in my brain that I need to tell someone! So I talked to a close friend of mine, who spent time being mind boggled over it because she'd never heard it before. I guess basically, THIS. It's so true for me and I need to know more and I need to know ways to incorporate it into my rituals and I just need to know about it. Can anyone help me?
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« on: October 24, 2011, 11:34:00 pm »
I'm going to try my first ritual this new moon. (I know, time runch but I don't want Samhain to be my first, you know?)
I'm looking for a Celtic Deity that is particular to the New Moon for a type of clensing ritual. Or a generalized Moon Deity. Preferably not a Full Moon Deity because That's kinda the opposite of what I'm looking for... (isn't it?)
Also, now that I think of it, a Deity representig purity or cleansing or sometihng along thse lines would work too. I"m going togo look tat up, but also leave this in your capable hands.
Do you know how many times I've started a post only to have writing out the question to you all spark something within me and then I've got my anwser, or at least a new avenue of approach? A lot, but this time I'm leaving the question up, your brains are probably better than my google-fu.
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« on: October 24, 2011, 11:41:54 am »
I'm bopping around, trying to figure out more about religious witchcraft. I'm interested in using the Celtic Pantheon in my practice and have been talking a lot on their SIG board.
I’m also doing some serious Google-fu. One of the things that I’m looking at is Celtic Wicca, now that I know a bit more about the origins of Wicca, but I’ve ome across a certain sentiment that, if true, would derail that process because that is not what I believe.
Basically I want to know, is this true: Wiccans worship a Goddess and a God whom they understand as manifestations of a higher and unknown Deity.
Please, I'm learning so if I've totally stuck my foot into my mouth and asked the stupidest question in the universe, I'm sorry.
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« on: October 23, 2011, 11:31:47 pm »
Hello. I was commenting on another post, and decided to bring it over into my own topic, because it was like to get lengthy. So here, I am. I’ve been reading a lot at Seeking: first Pagan steps and tools and I think I’ve come to the conclusion that what I want to do fits into what would be religious witchcraft with a Celtic bent, though I’m not sure if that’s even something. I just, I don’t know where to begin. Can anyone help me? Whether it’s books that would help me, personal experience, questions I need to ask myself before I step into this, it would all be appreciated. Oh, and I’m looking to get more familiar with the Celtic Gods and Goddesses, can anyone help with a reliable website to learn about them, and maybe direct me to some ideas or ways that I can connect with the few that strike my interest until I learn more and get into my own sense of routine? Any and all comments, help, and questions would be appreciated. Again, thank you all very much.
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« on: October 21, 2011, 10:36:49 am »
Hi. I've started this post like three times now. The first was a normal short quick one, like this. The second was a long drawn out one, about my religious journey so far. This will, hopefully, be a combination of the two. I've been a disgruntled Christian, then believer in God but not Christian, for most of my life. Now, I know that I'm a polytheist and that I'm intrested in learning more about the Celtic Pantheon and the traditions that they embrace and how things are done. I'm literally clueless. I had a tarot deck that I draw everyday, ut that's another newly started thing even though I've owned the deck for ten years. (wowza) I'm also reading Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions to make sure I'm getting all my facts straight, though I feel like I'm picking and choosing a bit. I can assure you I'll be reading a lot and asking a lot of questions, I just hop you all have patience with me. Thanks. Tamina
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